Leslie, DeChant Earn First Team All-American Honors at NCAA ChampionshipsBuckeyes finish tied for 23rd with 12 team points

Cory Leslie finished third in the 3000m steeplechase Saturday in Des Moines.

June 9, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s Cory Leslie and Matt DeChant earned First Team All-American honors Saturday afternoon on the final day of competition at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Leslie crossed the finish line in third place in the 3000m steeplechase in a time of 8:40.98 to capture the second First Team All-American award of his Ohio State career and the first for a Buckeye in the steeple since Brian Olinger took home the honor in 2006. Princeton’s Donn Cabral won the national title in 8:35.44, with Big Ten champion Craig Forys of Michigan edging Leslie at the wire to take second in 8:40.66.

DeChant surprised a strong field in the shot put with his fifth-place finish at a season-best distance of 19.57m (64-2.50), placing him fourth on the all-time outdoor performers list at Ohio State. The Avon Lake, Ohio, native closes his Buckeye career with his third First Team All-American award in the shot put. Arizona State’s Jordan Clark claimed the championship with a 20.40m (66-11.25) heave.

With six points from Leslie, four from DeChant, and two from Antonio Blanks (seventh in Friday’s 400m hurdle final), Ohio State finished the meet tied for 23rd with 12 team points.